Mirai Buu
by Supreme TokRa
Summary: Dr Gero's creations have been destroyed in the Alternate Timeline, but when the Earth is restored Babidi returns for his father's creation (8th and final chapter up)
1. 1

            Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Shocking but true!

            Author's note: This story takes part in the alternate timeline. I'm listing the rating as PG-13 for now; it may go higher later on depending on how bloodthirsty I'm feeling at the time. There's not much more to say but I hope u enjoy it!

            The timeline to which Trunks returned is far different from our own. His world was saved from Dr. Gero's creations just as ours was, but the Earth's Special Forces were gone. But some things remained the same. His world was able to recover and for a short time humankind lived in peace.

            Just like in our timeline Gohan attended high school for a short time, and there he met Videl, a dedicated but comparatively weak fighter. When her father died after foolishly challenging the Androids, they married and had a daughter, Pan. 

            Shortly after defeating the Androids and Cell in his own time, Trunks took it upon himself to rebuild the Earth's Special Forces. He knew that he was the most powerful person alive on Earth, but he had seen for himself that it took more than one person to save the planet. No matter how much his mother raved about Goku, without the support of his friends he may not have been able to save the Earth as many times as he had. 

            Pan had been only five years old when he went back in time and had not yet started her training. But now, eleven years on, she had become a fighter who rivaled his own abilities. Trunks had thought that since her blood was far more human than Saiyan her power would be reduced. He had been wrong. He guessed that anyone with Gohan for a father would have enormous fighting power.

            The third member of their trio had seemed only logical to him. Videl had been trained by her father and though she had previously been quite weak she was coming along well. She had trained almost continuously over the last eleven years, and with him to train her in energy manipulation she was nearing Krillin's level of power. 

            He had approached Gohan's mother to ask if she would participate but she flatly refused.

            "Me?" she had exclaimed when he asked her. "I'm way too old for all that now." Videl and Pan lived with her now. In some ways it was like seeing her with Gohan again. One of the most powerful fighters in the universe; not allowed to go out and train until Grandma made sure all her homework had been done. "It's not enough for her to be a karate bum" Chichi would say to Videl. "She needs an education so she'll get a good job." Videl now worked loosely tied to the Military. Between her money and what her father had left her they could live practically anywhere, but the arrangement at the Son residence suited the three of them. 

            Trunks still lived with his mother in Capsule Corp.

            He wasn't a loser or anything. He had inherited Bulma's love of science and was learning the family business. He'd had his share of girlfriends but just hadn't found the right one. He'd even designed his own gravity machine. Four hundred and fifty times the Earth's gravity, just like Vegeta's. Just because they were at peace didn't mean he could let himself go soft.

            He was on his five-hundredth push-up when the door burst open. Startled by the sudden shift as the gravity generators shut down he propelled himself upwards and gracelessly smashed into the ceiling.

            "Argh!" he growled, then fell back down again. He glared up at the intruder.

            "Hi Trunks." Pan said cheerfully. He gave her a flat stare, but could not stay angry at her.

            "Hi Pan. What's up?" he asked, getting up off the floor and mopping his face with a towel.

            "I just heard at school! They're reviving the World Martial Arts tournament!" she said excitedly. He stared blankly. A tournament?

            "Sounds great." He said without enthusiasm. The last time he'd entered into a tournament he'd been killed. Since there were no longer any Dragonballs he wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

            "Aren't you going to enter?" she asked.

            "Who would I compete against?" he asked. She glared.

            "Me of course!"

            "You're entering?"

            "Well I am the strongest fighter in the universe." She said proudly. Trunks grinned. They were constantly competing, and each liked to claim that title. "There's also another reason to enter."

            "I'm listening."

            "Well there will be a lot of fighters there, and there's a junior division too. Maybe you can find someone else to train." She suggested. Trunks blinked. That was a good idea.

            "All right. You've convinced me." 

            "Great! It's in four days! I'll see you later!" she bounded off, probably to train.

            "Wait!" he called after her. She stopped. "Three rules. No energy blasts, no flying and…"

            "Don't turn Super Saiyan. I know." She sighed. They'd been through all this many times before.

            "Great. I'll see you there then." He turned back to the gravity generators as she took off. Their power levels were so similar he would need all the training he could get before the fight. Despite the memories the word 'tournament' conjured up, Trunks was starting to look forward to it. He hadn't had a full-blown battle with Pan before. He imagined it would be a lot like a battle between Goku and Vegeta. And the prospect of a new pupil would be good too. There was nothing more he could teach Pan or Videl. He cranked up the gravity and began his sit-ups.

            Pan and her mother landed outside the arena. She looked around nervously. She'd never fought for an audience before. Videl seemed to sense this.

            "Relax. You'll do fine." She assured her.

            "How do you do this Mom?" Pan asked. She was great with crowds. Not over the top like her grandfather Hercule had been, but the crowd still loved her.

            "Just think of what you can do with the prize money. With your first and my third place we could build our own gravity room." Pan laughed but wasn't as ready to dismiss Trunks as her mother was. He was a lot older than she was.

            Speak of the devil…

            "Are you ready?" he asked, standing with his arms crossed looking very pleased with himself. He looked just like what Grandma described Vegeta as being like. He was leaning casually against a wall dressed in a dark blue sleeveless combat suit, minus the armour. He wore his old Saiyan-style gloves and boots too.

            "Ready as you are." Pan countered. She wore the uniform of Piccolo, her father's first trainer and her father's uniform from the alternate timeline. She looked very out of place with the enormous cape, purple combat-suit and tan shoes (she'd modified them slightly. She had no idea what Piccolo was thinking when he chose those shoes), but she was used to people staring. Though she looked like some odd form of human/Namek hybrid there was one thing that marked her as a Saiyan. Her tail. She flatly refused to have it removed. It was the only thing, apart from Trunks, that linked her to her Saiyan heritage. Though it was odd, there were far stranger things in the world than a girl with a tail and most people got over it. It flicked from side to side, showing her nervousness.

            "Hey, leave her alone. It's me you should be worried about." Videl jumped in. Though not as strong as the two Saiyans, she showed a lot of talent in directed energy blasts.

            "I'm already signed in. I'll see you in the waiting area." He walked off. The two women glared after him.

            "Pan, kick his butt." Videl ordered.

            Trunks leaned against the wall in the waiting area. His father had been a bad influence on him. After spending a year with him in the time-chamber he guessed it was inevitable that he pick up some of Vegeta's less desirable traits. Videl and Pan were stretching and giving him death-glares from the other side of the room. He watched the juniors. There was not a lot of talent out there. He knew he was being hard on them, but he could not see another Gohan or Pan. He let out an exasperated sigh when one of the competitors started to cry. Amateurs!

            Suddenly he felt cold all over. He looked around to see what the problem was and spotted two competitors. They could have been brothers. Both bald and overly-muscled and rather unpleasant-looking. He frowned and glanced over at Videl and Pan. They had looked at him at the same time. He nodded. There was something unusual about these two. Then he felt another pull at the back of his mind. Not as cold, but still somewhat disturbing. He looked around at the other entrance and blinked. He hadn't noticed these two before. One was massive. He was at least one and a half of Trunks tall, and three Trunks' wide. He had a reddish tinge to his skin, pointed hears and the oddest…second oddest outfit he'd ever seen.

            The other one had the oddest outfit. He was tiny. Half a head shorter than Videl and Pan at least. He was pale purple and had a white Mohawk and pointed ears. He looked more than a bit silly, especially with the earrings, but something warned Trunks to take him seriously. These two were walking towards him. He stood up straighter. 

            "Are you Trunks?" The small one asked. Trunks frowned, instantly on guard.

            "Yes."

            "I have heard a great deal about you. I've wanted to meet you for a long time now."

            "Uh, thanks." Well, what else could he say? And the little guy was giving him a really weird grin.

            "I look forward to fighting with you." He turned and floated away…what?

            He was hovering half a foot off the ground. So he was a real fighter. Not like the others here. He spotted a blonde fighter giving Pan the once-over. Trunks crossed his arms again. He didn't like this. Who were these guys? Surely there should be no one left to cause trouble after all these years? He shifted nervously, no longer looking forward to the tournament. Then he remembered his father. He wouldn't be intimidated by a floating midget, a pink giant and two bald guys! _I am a Saiyan warrior. I am the most powerful fighter in the universe, he thought to himself. He was not afraid of them, but he could not entirely dismiss them either._

            After what seemed like ages the adult tournament began. Videl was fighting first against one of her father's old students. He wore a helmet in the shape of an elephant's head, which he promptly ate in front of the audience. Trunks smirked as Videl knocked him out with one blow. That had to hurt.

            "Piece of cake." She said happily as she returned to the room. Trunks shook his head at her.

            "You're not giving the crowd much of a show." He commented. She shrugged.

            "My father was the showman. I just know how to punch people." She replied. He smiled and watched as Pan strode out into the ring with her opponent. A guy named…Kibito. The pink guy!

            Trunks watched, concerned. Pan threw off her cape and stood in a fighting stance, but Kibito stood talking to her. She shook her head and said something back. Trunks was about to go after her when the purple guy, Shin, approached him.

            "Trunks. Something is going to happen and I need you to stay out of it." He said. Trunks blinked.

            "What? You're not serious are you? I don't even know who you are." He replied. Pan was still arguing with Kibito. The crowd was starting to throw empty cans at them.

            "I am the Supreme Kai." Shin announced. Trunks blinked. The what? Shin frowned.

            "You don't know about the Kais?" he asked. Trunks blinked again. Had he just heard his thoughts? Or was this guy strong but not all there in the head?

            "I assure you I am perfectly sane. Perhaps you have heard of King Kai? The one who trained Goku?" Trunks' eyes widened.

            "You're King Kai?" he asked.

            "No. I am the Supreme Kai. I rule over all other Kais and watch over the whole universe."

            "Right." Trunks said, not sure what to believe.

            "There is no time. Piccolo would know who I am. But for now I need you to trust me. Whatever happens in that ring I need you to stay right here."

            The name Piccolo more or less convinced Trunks. Few people on Earth knew anything about the big green alien. This guy must be important, if slightly cracked.

            Pan looked over at him looking concerned. Apparently the big guy had just said something important.

            "We wish to see her Super Saiyan power. Tell her." The little guy said. Trunks frowned but nodded to his student.

            "What's going on?" Videl came up beside him.

            "I don't know. Just don't interfere, okay?"

            "Like I'm going to go along with that." She said. He gripped her shoulder.

            "It's going to be all right." He looked at Shin while he was saying it. He nodded once. Just then Pan's power level began to rise and the air around her began to shimmer. She let out a loud cry and with a blinding flash of light she transformed.

            The crowd was silenced. She was surrounded by pure white light and sparks were traveling up and down her body. Her hair, unlike the other Super Saiyans Trunks had seen, was a luminous white, as was her tail-fur, and her eyes had turned the same violet as her mother's. 

            "I never get used to her doing that." Videl said quietly. Trunks agreed. She was a spectacular sight.

            Suddenly the two bald guys ran out into the ring straight towards her. Trunks leapt into action and Videl cried out.

            "NO! You must not interfere!" Shin shouted. Trunks barely restrained himself and held Videl back as they closed in on Pan. Surely she could take them…

            Then Shin stretched his hands out and let out a surge of energy. Pan stood stiff and straight with her arms pinned down. 

            "What are you doing?" Videl shouted. Shin ignored her and visibly flinched as the bigger one stabbed her with some kind of weapon. Trunks turned on the Kai.

            "Stop it now!" he warned.

            "She will not be hurt. I give you my word." He said. For some reason Trunks trusted him.

            Pan's hair darkened, her eyes turned black again and she fell to the floor. Without hesitation the two bald guys flew away. Shin turned to them.

            "I must follow them. I could really use your help. I'll understand if you want to stay here." He said.

            "What? You're going now?" Trunks exclaimed. 

            "I have to. I'll explain if you come." He said before taking off. Trunks looked after him, then back to his unconscious pupil. Kibito was standing over her, radiating energy. He was healing her. Trunks knew that something serious was up.

            "Videl, stay with her. When she's healed bring her and follow me. I think something big's going on." She nodded once.

            "Be careful. I don't trust him." Trunks frowned.

            "No? Look." Pan was sitting up slowly. "I don't think they mean us harm, but we've got to find out what's going on."

            "Right. See you soon." She raced off towards her daughter. Trunks glanced at them once more before following the Supreme Kai. 

            Videl rushed to her daughter's side where she was sitting up looking dazed.

            "Are you all right?" she demanded. Pan smiled. She looked fine but she had powered down again.

            "Better than ever. Who were they?"

            "Enemies." A deep voice replied. Kibito stood staring down at them.

            "What do they want?" Videl asked after making sure Pan was all right. She had a hole in her suit but the skin was perfectly healed.

            "They wanted your daughter's energy. If you come with me I'll explain everything."

            "Where are we going?" Pan asked.

            "I must follow the Supreme Kai." He replied before taking off. Videl shared a bewildered expression with her daughter. Pan shrugged and followed him. Videl looked back at the waiting area. Great. A no-talent loser, probably one of her father's old students, was going to win. Oh well.

            She flew off after the others.


	2. 2

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own DBZ, however if the real owners want to buy my story I'm more than open to the arrangement… (Waits hopefully) No? Oh well…

Well with the outpouring of appreciation I got for the last chapter I decided to load the next one!

Just kidding. Actually I'm loading this one about 5 mins after I did the first one :P

The two women caught up to Trunks just after the story of Bibidi, Babidi and Buu had finished. If it hadn't sounded so serious he would have laughed. Who named these people? Judging from the somber looks on his friends' faces they'd just heard the same story from Kibito.

            "So what's the plan? Do we fight this Buu monster?" Trunks asked. Shin – The Supreme Kai – shook his head.

            "No. He is too powerful to attack directly. We must defeat his warriors and then dispose of him before he can release the monster." He answered. Pan grinned. Trunks knew what she was thinking. Her first real fight. 

            Suddenly the two enemy fighters from the tournament slowed down and landed. The group quickly landed behind some rocks and peered down. There was one warrior, the two bald guys, and one little guy Trunks thought looked just like Yoda from Star Wars. Behind them was what looked like a portable toilet…no, it had to be an elevator.

            "The small one is Babidi." Kibito explained. Trunks nodded. The wizard took the machine containing Pan's energy from the two guys, and then the warrior blasted them out of existence. Trunks blinked. Huh?

            "Babidi's servants don't live for very long. Once they complete their missions they are no more use to him."

            "Ah." Trunks said. _Nice guy._

            The warrior went into the elevator and disappeared. Babidi followed him, but turned around and stared straight towards them. The cold feeling returned to Trunks' stomach.

            "He knows we're here!" he hissed. Suddenly the air shifted and a cloudy, transparent and much enlarged version of the wizard materialized in front of them.

            "Greetings Kai." He said. Shin snarled and hit out at him. His fist passed right through the illusion. "How rude!"

            "I know what you're doing here Babidi. I won't allow you to release him." Shin said, floating up to meet him. Babidi held his gaze for a moment, and then looked at Kibito. He grinned. Suddenly he let out a shrill cry, and there was a blinding flash of light. Trunks jumped as a wave of heat knocked him sideways.

            "Kibito!" Shin and Pan cried at the same time. The light faded and only ashes were left. Babidi giggled.

            "That's for my father Kai." He laughed, and then disappeared. Videl looked shocked. Shin and Pan were devastated. Apart from that they seemed all right. Trunks looked sadly at the remains of Kibito. Their first casualty and no Dragonballs. This was serious.

            "What do we do now?" he asked. Pan's eyes were teary. The Supreme Kai was slowly changing from shocked to furious. Trunks could feel his power level rising. 

            "We go after them of course." Videl spoke up. Pan nodded and got up. Without a word she flew down to the lower ground and disappeared into the shaft. Shin blinked.

            "No wait!" he shouted. He turned to Videl.

            "I should stay here if I were you. The three of us will manage." He said before taking off. Trunks raised an eyebrow at her.

            "Yeah, right." She threw him a wry grin. Trunks nodded and they both took off.

            Pan landed on a hard surface and found herself in a large room with a door set in the circular wall. She was examining it when she felt someone coming after her.

            "Do you often go into strange places without knowing what's there?" The Kai demanded. She turned around. He was strangely cute when he was angry.

            "Usually, yes. What's with the door? Do I break it down?"

            "No! And don't change the subject. We've already lost one person today. I don't want to lose anyone else." He snapped. Pan clenched her fists. She had only known Kibito for a few minutes, but while he was healing her she had sensed a kind, calm and gentle presence. It was beyond her how anyone could kill him in cold blood.

            "You won't." She assured him. Trunks and her mother landed.

            "Nice place." Trunks commented.

            "It could use some decorating." Videl argued. Pan smiled. Those two were good fun sometimes. It was a pity Trunks was so much younger than her mother…

            "Will you people keep your minds on the job? This isn't a game!" Kai told them. Pan jumped as the door opened. She sprang back and entered a fighting stance and the others did the same. It was the same guy from the surface. He was dressed in black and white armour and had eerie glowing yellow eyes.

            "I am Fui-Fui." He announced. "I am the fighter at level one. You needn't concern yourselves about the next two levels. You won't be getting past me." Pan looked him over. He had clearly already powered up, but he wasn't really that strong. From the slightly pained expression on Trunks' face she could tell he felt the same. He continued.

            "All of the energy you lose while fighting me will be sent straight to Majin Buu and will aide his resurrection. And you will be losing much before this battle is over." He gave a short, evil-sounding laugh. Pan rolled her eyes. _What a dweeb!_

            "Right." Trunks said. "Who wants this guy?"

            "What?" Shin broke in. "We all have to fight together to beat him!" Pan frowned. Couldn't he read power levels?

            "Nah." Videl shook her head. "I'll take him if you like. If the others are stronger than him then this may be the only guy in my league."

            "Sure go ahead. I get the next guy." Pan said. Shin's eyes widened.

            "You can't be serious!"

            "Hello! I'm still here!" Fui-Fui shouted. 

            "He's mine." Videl announced and approached him. The Kai turned on Trunks. 

            "Aren't you going to help her?"

            "No. She'll be fine." Trunks crossed his arms and stepped back to watch the fight.

            "Pan?" he all but pleaded. Pan frowned.

            "Seriously, Supreme Kai. She'll be fine." She assured him. "You might want to step back though. My mother likes to let loose energy blasts and she once burned a chunk of hair off my head." She laughed as she joined Trunks near the wall. Shin looked horrified.    

            "Then you leave me no choice." He sighed and stood beside Videl.

            "Hey wait your turn!" Videl protested. Shin stared at her.

            "You may need assistance." He said. 

            "Fine. Just don't get in the way, okay?" she grinned at him.

            With a loud yell the alien flew at her. His fist was inches from her face when she dodged and gave him a hard kick to the side. He fell off-balance and crashed into the wall. Pan grinned. _That's my mom! She thought. _

            Shin looked as though he'd just seen a ghost. Videl caught his expression and laughed.

            "Not bad for a mere human, is it?" she commented and resumed the battle. The purple alien's eyes looked as though they were going to pop out. Pan smirked. _If he finds that impressive wait until he sees me fight, she thought._

            Videl was stronger than Fui-Fui. Her power level wasn't a lot greater but he was growing frustrated and his moves were getting sloppy. After a violent punch to his stomach he took off and hovered in mid-air panting. Videl took her chance.

            "Ka…" she put her hands together. "Me…Ha…Me….HAAAA!" she shouted and let loose a giant blue energy wave. Pan watched, speechless. She had been training hard lately and it definitely paid off. It hit the alien and he was squashed against the wall like a bug on a windshield. The wave finished and Fui-Fui fell to the floor. She smoothed out her shirt and wiped a thin trickle of blood from her mouth.

            "Bit my tongue, didn't I?" she joked. Pan high-fived her.

            "All right!" she shouted. 

            "Shouldn't the door open now?" Trunks asked. "I'm fighting next."

            "You are not! I called next fight." They began walking towards the doorway.

            Just then a loud scream broke into their conversation. Pan whirled around to see a bright energy blast heading towards her mother. She jumped in front to shield her when a small figure appeared and punched the blast away. Shin stood between them and the alien. Fui-Fui snarled.

            "Damn you! Purple rat!" he shouted and ran at him. Shin held his ground and calmly met his attack. Pan blinked. From the way he was acting she hadn't expected him to be much of a fighter but he was blocking the other guy's blows with little or no effort. 

            "Some warrior you are, attacking while your opponent's back is turned." Shin said quietly. Almost too fast for Pan to see he leaned forward, rested his hands on the alien's breastplate and released an enormous energy wave. He was instantly vaporized.

            The glare from the blast faded and Pan stared at the Kai. He was very strong. She couldn't figure out how he could have that much power. Even through his multiple layers of clothing she could see he had a very slender build and it didn't look like he worked out much. He turned around and looked at her and she had the odd feeling he knew what she was thinking.

            "Keep your guard up." He warned them. "Fui-Fui was a weakling compared to the other warriors under Babidi's control." Pan felt her face warming. She had underestimated the alien and her mother could have been killed.

            "Thankyou." Videl said quietly. Shin nodded once.

            "You're welcome." 

            "Hey look the floor's opening up!" Trunks called. They gathered around to look into the pit. It was pitch black. They all looked at each other. Pan gestured to Shin.

            "After you." She offered. He gave her a tiny smile before leaping down into the darkness.

            Babidi watched the intruders through the crystal ball. As he had expected, after the death of the Kai's big pink servant the rest of them all fell right into his trap. Unfortunately it looked like they were stronger than they looked. The smallest and weakest of the humans had just defeated one of his elite fighters. 

            "Damn!" he hissed. He turned around and looked at his favourite fighter, Dabora. "Did you see that?"

            "Fui-Fui was weak, Master." He assured him. "They will not get past stage two."

            "Yes…I suppose you're right. But just in case I want you ready to defend me." He ordered. Dabora inclined his head.

            "I will be in the meditation room preparing for battle." He agreed and left. 

            Babidi turned back to the ball. He grinned thinking of the next warrior he would send out. He had reached out across time and into another dimension to get at this fighter, and he should provide quite a challenge for the newcomers…

            Pan stood doing some stretches while they waited for the next fighter. Videl was sitting down taking a break. Trunks could tell that despite her confidence that fight had taken a lot out of her. He smiled. She had done exceedingly well. He guessed she was at least as powerful as Krillin, possibly even Piccolo had been. She was fantastic, and she didn't even have the benefit of Saiyan blood. Amazing!

            "You did great back there." Trunks told her. She grinned up at him.

            "I think my finishing moves need some work." She said ruefully. "If the Supreme Kai hadn't been there things might have ended differently."

            "Yeah." Trunks agreed, frowning at the little guy. He was standing beside Pan trying to convince her that they had to fight in a group to beat the next fighter. She threw some punches into the air.

            "Why? I'm fine!" she said. Her tail flicked from side to side excitedly. Trunks grinned. Sometimes he wished he'd kept his tail. 

            The Kai started to protest again and she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Look, don't worry. Even if I can't handle him on my own, do you think Trunks will just stand by and let me get pulverized? If it looks like he's going to kill me feel free to give me a hand. Okay?" she soothed. He threw his hands up in the air and began pacing.

            "You people are impossible." He sighed. Trunks laughed.

            "If you think we're bad you should have met our parents." He commented. "And grandparents." Goku would have found this whole thing a blast. Maybe he could have even saved Kibito.

            "Yes. Goku and Vegeta did enjoy a challenge." A deep voice said from behind them. Trunks froze. He knew that voice.

            "CELL?"

            The big green monstrosity stood facing them. Trunks hadn't heard him come in. He was exactly the same as he remembered. Pale faced, green skinned with cockroach wings and that repulsive tail. There were two differences. He had a black 'M' on his forehead, and a gold ring hovering over his head.

            "Master Babidi summoned me from my resting place. I was surprised to discover I would be fighting you here, but not disappointed. I thought I'd killed you years ago."

            "You did." Trunks growled.

            "Ah yes. The Dragonballs." He said. Trunks locked eyes with the enemy.

            "Pan, this one's mine." He said shortly. She knew not to argue with him now.

            "Sure Trunks go for it." She said easily.

            "Who is he?" Shin asked quietly. Pan leaned towards him.

            "He's an android. He almost destroyed Earth in the alternate timeline." She replied. She knew the story well.

            "How was he defeated?" he asked.

            "My father Gohan stopped him. He was an ascended Saiyan." She answered. She looked Cell up and down. She didn't like this turn of events. "Mom, I think you'd better get out of here." She suggested. Videl didn't answer. "Even my father had trouble defeating him. You're in more danger than any of us. Now go!" Pan shouted. Videl slowly nodded. "Right. If you're not back within…"

            "One day." Pan supplied. If this wasn't over in a day, chances were they'd lost.

            "Right." Videl turned to Shin. "You take care of her." She ordered. Shin bowed slightly.

            "I will." He replied. Videl placed two fingers to her forehead and disappeared.

            "Where did she go?" the Kai asked. 

            "It's the Instant Transmission. Goku taught it to my father and he taught it to her before he died. Now we all know it."

            "Hmm. I didn't know any Earthlings knew it." He commented. Pan grinned.

            "So much for the watcher of the universe." She joked. He frowned.

            "Well it is a lot of territory to cover." He said defensively. 

            Trunks was standing face to face with his opponent. Pan had never seen him this angry. Suddenly Cell looked away.

            "Master Babidi! I believe there is a more appropriate setting for this battle." He called. Instantly the room blurred and Pan got the strange feeling she did when using Instant Transmission – except she wasn't in control here.

            "What's happening?" she shouted.

            "It's Babidi." The Kai snarled. 

            When the world around him settled down Trunks was horrified to find he was back at the Cell Games. The arena was in perfect condition and he stood on it facing Cell. Pan and the Supreme Kai stood by the side of the ring, looking around curiously. If Cell was trying to unnerve him he had failed. Instead Trunks was filled with a blinding anger at the memories of what Cell had done. He killed Goku and Android 16, not to mention Trunks himself, beat Gohan half to death and tortured his father and friends with those repulsive 'Cell Juniors'. 

            "Much better." Cell looked around. "Ah memories."

            "You died here Cell. You will die here again." Trunks' grin was eerily similar to his father's.

            "I'm already dead. Besides, you're not the only one who has been training Trunks. I have far exceeded the power of even Gohan." He said. Trunks laughed.

            "You are a slave to a wizard who can't fight his own battles." He countered. Cell smiled condescendingly.

            "I serve him willingly. He has given me the power to get my revenge." He said simply before falling into a fighting stance. "Even _if you beat me, all the energy you lose during battle will be sent to Majin Buu. So I would have won anyway." Trunks scowled. He had worked hard to rid this planet of its greatest enemy. He would not let him win this time…_


	3. 3

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ

Author's note: Thanks to Digi fan and GeordiLadPaul1, my first and only reviewers so far J

Yeah I thought of using Cell from the AU timeline, but he really wasn't strong enough to do any damage. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense but Babidi's a wizard! What he does doesn't have to make sense!

And thanks for the tips Paul. I hadn't thought of the whole Gohan/Trunks thing. Could be interesting…

As for the uniform, I just like Piccolo's better J

"How can he kill Cell if he's dead already?" Pan asked irritably. That was cheating! Babidi should have had to choose fighters who were still alive.

            "His body can still be destroyed. He will be sent back to where he came from, unable to return."

            "Unless Babidi calls him back." She pointed out.

            "If he loses this battle it is unlikely Babidi will bother with him again." Shin replied. Pan nodded. That made sense.

            Just then Trunks let out a roar and flew at Cell, transforming to the level of Super Saiyan in the process. The battle began with an exchange of blows capable of reducing a mountain to rubble. Pan watched excited in spite of the danger, her tail flicking back and forth. Part of her wished she was up there, but she knew this was Trunks' fight. The Supreme Kai watched looking amazed. 

            "Haven't you seen him fight before?" Pan asked. He shook his head.

            "I've only watched this planet closely for the last two weeks or so when I learned Babidi was here. I had no idea the two of you were this powerful." He answered while watching the fight. 

            "You're not bad yourself." Pan commented. Looking at him she wouldn't have believed he could take on that Fui-Fui guy but he was tougher than he looked. 

            "Thankyou." He said dryly. "You know before you Saiyans started evolving I was the most powerful fighter in the universe." Now Pan's eyes widened. But he was so tiny! She wasn't very tall but he was at least a few inches shorter than her. His face looked a little pink but he continued watching.

            Pan slowly grew less interested in the fight. Nothing had changed. They were still punching each others' lights out and sending out the occasional energy blast. Neither was trying their best, still testing the other's skill and strength. She sat down on the ground and watched the beams fly back and forth. She yawned.

            "Aren't you the least bit concerned?" Shin demanded. Pan blinked.

            "No. Trunks is far stronger than Majin Cell." She stated. He frowned.

            "You can sense this?"

            "Sure. Can't you?"

            "I can't feel Cell's power level. I can't sense anyone under Babidi's control." He replied. Hmm. Strange. Pan turned back to the contest. 

            "Trunks will play with him for a while longer, then power up properly, then he'll taunt him for a while before finishing him off with his Gallic Gun attack." She said. Ever since his trip back to the past he had used this as his main finishing move. Usually against her.

            And he spent more time taunting than fighting. His father had been a bad influence on him.          

            "Are you sure?" 

            "I'd bet my tail on it. Why?"

            "Because if we're not needed here we may as well move onto the next level." He said. Pan blinked.

            "Can we do that?" Wasn't that against the rules?

            "We can if we blast through the floor." He said. She liked his way of thinking.

            "Sounds great." She jumped up, eager for her turn to fight. She cupped her hands to her mouth.

            "Oi! Trunks!" she shouted. The two battlers paused mid-air. It was quite comical to see.

            "Yeah? I'm kinda busy up here!" He called back.

            "We're going on without you! Catch up when you're finished playing around!"

            "Right! See you later!" he said, burying his fist in Cell's midsection. 

            The Kai was staring at her. "Well he had to know didn't he?" she said defensively. He shook his head again and held his hand over the circular trapdoor. His fingers crackled with blue sparks, and then a blue-white bolt fired downwards. Once the dust cleared Pan hauled away the bent metal covering. She looked at Shin who gestured to the shaft.

            "Ladies first." 

            The Supreme Kai floated down into the darkness. Despite the seriousness of the situation was he found it difficult to be afraid. These two fighters were the most powerful he had ever met; and the most impossible. Trunks was smugly confident but at least he seemed to remember what he was fighting for and take it seriously. But Pan was clearly having the time of her life. Perhaps her Saiyan blood was more dominant than Trunks' was. Maybe it was the tail making her cocky. Whatever it was she was absolutely infuriating.

            Not that she was all bad. He had watched her over the last week or so and had found her to be a quiet and thoughtful individual. He had watched her train alone in a deserted wasteland in preparation for the battle and then rush home to do her schoolwork to make her grandmother happy. Your typical 'karate bum' as the human Chi-Chi had called her didn't do that sort of thing. She often sat quietly staring up at the moon-less sky and he could pick up images of her father going through her mind. 

            She'd called him cute too. No one had called him that in a while.

            They landed in another room identical to the first two.

            "Man these guys could use a decorator." Pan said. Shin hid a smile.

            "The evil wizards of the universe aren't known for their interior decorating skills." He said quietly. She grinned and started stretching again.

            "All right. This one's definitely mine." She stated. Shin shrugged. As much as he hated to admit it she was a lot stronger than him. 

            "And Babidi himself is mine." He stated. She looked him up and down again. He felt his face heat up.

            "Are you going to take my word for it that I can fight him or do we need to arm wrestle?" he demanded, not sure exactly why he was so bothered. He hadn't gotten this irritated at Trunks. She looked surprised.

            "It's not that." She said.

            "Well what?" 

            "Um…well I really like your outfit." Huh? Now _that he wasn't expecting._

            "Thankyou but what does that have anything to do with…"

            "It's just that in the fight with Fui-Fui it looked a bit…inhibiting." She said. 

            "This is the uniform of a Kai. We've worn it for thousands of years." He said, though she did have a point.

            "If you're the ruler of the universe who's going to tell you off about it?" Shin had to think about that one. Again, a good point.

            "Very well then." He said. He turned his back and rid himself of the sash and heavy coat. Well now the suit looked ridiculous. He shut his eyes and transformed the gear into a dark blue combat suit complete with a long-sleeved shirt underneath. He re-tied the sash and transformed his earrings to make them less cumbersome. "Better?" He inquired.

            "Much. You'll have to show me how to do that." She said. Shin did a couple of flips and stretches. Yes, the Earthling style was a lot more comfortable. Maybe he should talk to the other Kais about a change in uniform… 

            "So when does my opponent come out?" Pan asked, looking around. Shin shrugged.

            "I don't know. Some of them like to power up first. I know one fighter who spends a lot of time meditating before…" _Oh no! He thought suddenly. What if Dabora was the next fighter?_

            As if on cue the door opened. No one approached. Shin watched with his heart racing. Pan was incredibly strong but he wasn't sure if she was up to Dabora's standards. He knew from experience that he wasn't. 

            A large scaled and clawed foot was pushed through the doorway. Shin almost breathed a sigh of relief but then he realized who the challenger was. 

            Yarkaan. The most feared animal in the universe.

            Pan watched as the enormous green and slimy creature squeezed through the small doorway. He stood up and stretched to his full height, which was several times taller than she was.

            "Holy crap." She breathed. He seemed to be chuckling to himself but the sound was enough to make the floor vibrate. "Ugly guy isn't he?" she commented. 

            "Be careful! He's one of the most dangerous creatures alive." The Supreme Kai warned. She nodded but didn't take it too seriously. He looked kinda clumsy.

            "I am Yarkaan. And this is where you will die." He growled.

            "Uh huh. Gotcha." Pan replied blandly. They stood still facing each other for a long moment, and then Pan sprang forward to attack. 

            He was big but he was fast. He blocked all of her punches before startling her with an extended claw. She jumped backwards just in time to avoid being gutted and landed on her feet.

            "That was a close one." She said to herself.

            "Pan!" Shin shouted. She looked down.

            "Argh!" her shirt was torn in a gash across her stomach. He must have missed skin by millimeters. 

            "Will you watch what you're doing?" he ordered. 

            "Yeah yeah!" she called, irritated. The monster attacked, taking advantage of her distraction. She snarled and blocked his attacks before landing a punch to his gut. He was quick but she was quicker. He groaned and stumbled back before resuming the attack

            Pan was exhilarated. This was her first real battle and she was just fine. Yarkaan was powerful but nothing she couldn't handle. And she wasn't even powered up! She flew towards him at top speed and punched him right between the eyes. He fell backwards.

            Pan did a flashy back flip and landed lightly in front of him.

            "Round two." She said simply. Before she could finish him a voice boomed in the chamber.

            "Yarkaan! I'm sending you to the Planet of Darkness!" Babidi's voice said. _The What? Instantly the rushing feeling returned and the lights went out. And stayed out._

            She soon felt solid ground under her feet but couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or not.

            "Where are we?" she asked. She could sense both Yarkaan and the Kai were nearby. She waved her hand around in front of her face. "Ow!" she hissed, poking herself in the eye. Apparently they were open.

            "The Planet of Darkness. It's where Yarkaan was spawned." He sounded just this side of panicking. Pan smiled tightly. So the monster could most likely see her. She could feel him sneaking up on her. She let out a thundering cry and powered up.

            Light blasted the area, illuminating jagged rocks and sick-looking vegetation. Yarkaan looked even more hideous in the harsh lighting. He grinned and opened his mouth.

            She felt like she was in front of a huge vacuum cleaner. The light from her body seemed to be getting sucked in, along with dirt and rocks from the ground. She held her ground and managed to stay more or less standing. It seemed to last ages and then he stopped. The planet was dark once again. 

            "He eats light Pan! Don't power up again!" Shin called out.

            "You could have told me that before!" She shouted.

            "I didn't know!" Pan sighed. What exactly did he do all day as watcher of the universe?

            "Fine!" she shouted. She knew where he was. She rose up into the air and then dropped down, faster and faster until her foot connected with his neck. It snapped sideways and he gave a startled cry before being silenced. Pan powered up again and went to examine the creature. He was definitely dead. "It's okay. See? We go to the next level!" the floor had opened up again. The Kai was staring at her. "Are you all right?" she asked. He blinked.

            "That was amazing." He said. Pan felt her cheeks heat up.

            "Uh…thanks." What else was there to say? "Come on. Trunks'll catch up to us later." She said. He nodded and stood at the rim of the shaft.

            "Now it's my turn." He said before jumping. Pan powered down. _This should be interesting._

            Trunks battled his adversary thoroughly enjoying himself. He was not usually a bloodthirsty person. He didn't have _that much Saiyan in him, but he enjoyed toying with Cell. He let the green monstrosity believe their power was equal. He even let him land a punch or two. He was in no hurry. He could feel Pan battling someone down in the next level but she was fine on her own. So he had his fun. _

            He was slow to block Cell's fist and allowed himself to fly upwards. Cell looked overjoyed and moved in for the kill. Trunks put on a burst of speed and reappeared over Cell's head.

            "Looking for me?" he inquired politely before slamming his fists into his back and sending him crashing to the ground. The ring was already totaled. 

            Trunks floated down and watched Cell crawl up out of the crater on the ground.

            "You're pathetic." He sneered. "I can't believe we were ever afraid of you." 

            "Who are you to talk of pathetic? Your master was killed by two un-evolved Androids!" Cell laughed. Trunks held his gaze evenly for a few seconds before punching him in the face. Cell stumbled backwards before regaining his balance. "That one was free, Saiyan. But now you will see my true power!" He dug his feet into the ground and waves of energy traveled up and down his body. Trunks was almost knocked backwards.

            _Wow. He's been working out, he thought to himself. His muscles had grown even larger and blood (or whatever it was Cell had) vessels bulged all over his arms and neck. Much like Spopovich and Yamu's had. __Babidi's lot sure are an ugly bunch._

            "Not bad." Trunks said evenly. His long hair began to shift slightly. "But you have yet to see mine." The air around him crackled and his spiky gold-colored hair burst out of its tie and stood straight up in the air. His muscles inflated and his power rose dramatically. Cell stood and stared.

            "Impossible!" he shouted. "Gohan was the only one with the ability to ascend!"

            "Yes. He was." Trunks grinned. "He was the first to do it. I achieved it shortly after I returned to my own time. And there is one other." He said. Cell looked horrified. "Pan. Daughter of Gohan and the second most powerful fighter in the universe. I'd estimate you at six or seven on the list these days." Cell roared and charged. Trunks met his attack without difficulty before slamming his fist into his stomach, then to his face, then hurled him up into the air and threw him back down again. He hovered above him.

            "You've lost Cell!" he shouted, gathering a large energy ball in his hand. Cell looked up at him in disbelief. Trunks powered up further. "Ga…lic…GUN!"

            After the dust had settled Trunks landed and looked around for any sign of the android. He couldn't feel his power anywhere. The surrounding landscape was ruined. Perhaps he shouldn't have put so much power into the blast. Oh well. With all the battles that had happened on this planet one more crater wasn't going to hurt it too much. 

            He sat down on the ground. He was tired. He could sure do with a sensu bean right about now…

            He looked over at the shaft in the ground. It had been sealed up again since Pan and the Supreme Kai disappeared down it. From the sound of it Pan had finished her battle. He got up again and went over to the shaft. If she had finished it meant they were going to face Babidi, and they might need his help. He held out his hand above the smooth metal and produced a small energy ball. He blasted the cover, stirring up dust and rocks in the process. When the dust cleared he frowned. He hadn't made a dent in it. 

            He called up a more powerful blast. Again, nothing. Finally he produced a full-power Gallic Gun and shot it down with enough power to defeat Cell all over again. 

            The metal wasn't even scorched. Then he realized what had happened. 

            "Damn it!" he hissed. It was all a trap. Babidi had wanted Pan and the Supreme Kai to move on while he was busy with Cell. Now he was trapped on the surface with them underneath. "Wait a minute!" he said to himself and chuckled. Babidi hadn't thought of that!

            He held two fingers to his head and concentrated on Pan's energy. He felt the world around him flicker as he disappeared…

            "Hey Pan what's…" he looked around. He hadn't moved. He couldn't reach them. Panic set in. "Oh no." What was he meant to do now? Pan and the Kai had to face Babidi alone…


	4. 4

            Trunks knew he couldn't help them. He began pacing back and forth over the cover. All right. How about a back-up plan?

            The Dragonballs. They were no help now. They were lumps of useless white stone. But if a new guardian could be found…

            He made up his mind and instead focused his mind on Videl's energy. She was at Capsule Corp. Perfect! They would go to the Planet Namek and pay a visit to a young green alien named Dende…

            This room was different to the others. It was a smaller chamber with the now familiar door labeled with a big 'M' on the far wall. The most noticeable difference was the gigantic ball in the middle of the floor.

            "Wow. When you said ball I was thinking like a tennis ball or something." Pan said. Shin wasn't sure what a tennis ball was but he nodded anyway.

            "We need to destroy it now before Babidi returns. I doubt he will leave it unguarded for long." He said. She nodded. Then both fell into a fighting stance in perfect time. 

            "Ka…" Pan put her hands together. Shin held his hands out in front of him and formed the ball. "Me…" He felt her power level go up as she turned Super Saiyan. He powered up at the same time, trying to keep the energy ball as strong as hers. Her power kept rising. He rose to his full power and concentrated on restraining the blast until she was ready to release hers. "Ha…" 

            A loud mechanical noise came from behind them. The sound startled them both and they reabsorbed the energy to face the new obstacle.

            The door had opened. And out came Dabora.

            He was just as Shin remembered him. Humungous, red, ugly and extremely powerful. Pan recoiled.

            "Who the hell is this guy?" she demanded, stepping backwards a little.

            "Dabora. The Demon King." He snarled. He should have known Dabora would be here instead of Level 3. 

            "Yes. He's my current favourite." A high-pitched, squeaky voice said. Shin whirled around to face Babidi. He was standing smugly surrounded by his barrier. He looked Shin up and down. "Well don't you look ridiculous! If you weren't short and purple one could almost mistake you for a real warrior." He commented. Shin growled.

            "At least I fight my own battles, wizard."

            "Really? Then why is your little friend here?" he pointed to Pan. "And why is Trunks pacing around on the surface trying to figure out how to get in?" Shin's eyes widened. Trunks wasn't coming?

            Of course! How could he have been so stupid? It was all a trap to separate the three of them! If Trunks couldn't get down there they would have no help against Buu!

            He stood back to back with Pan, each facing their opponent. He could sense Pan was worried. Dabora was a real fighter, not just some ugly, clumsy beast like on Stage 3. 

            "So what do we do now?" she asked. Her tail was twitching nervously and flicked his leg occasionally. 

            "I can't help you Pan. Dabora is far more powerful than I am. He's the most powerful fighter in his dimension." He said.

            "You're not helping." She said. He turned to look at her. 

            "But you are the most powerful fighter in ours. You can do it." He assured her. She still looked uncertain. He smiled at her. "I have complete faith in you. If you don't do it to save the universe, do it to show up Trunks." She laughed out loud. Her nerves slowly faded and her confidence returned. 

            "Thankyou. Good luck against your wizard." She said before walking forwards to meet her opponent. He looked about twice her size. Shin hoped he'd done the right thing. He didn't want to lose her. He'd already lost one good friend today.   

            "Don't let him spit on you! It will turn you into stone!" he remembered to warn her. She stood staring down her opponent.

            "Wizard!" she snapped. "There is no space to fight in here. Take us outside." She ordered, sounding every bit the arrogant Saiyan. Shin slowly smiled. _Good girl!_

            Babidi chuckled. Instantly the room blurred and they were on the surface. As soon as they were on solid ground Dabora attacked. But Pan was ready for it. She blocked each blow and hastily dodged Dabora's signature slashing-technique. Shin watched, concerned. 

            "How about a bet, Kai? The one whose fighter wins gets to live!" Babidi proposed. Shin forced himself to laugh.

            "I will take you and your demon on any day of the week." He sneered, but deep down he was terrified. Babidi was more powerful than his father had been and would be quite enough to handle without a ten-foot tall giant demon getting in his way as well. 

            Shin half-turned away from Babidi to watch the fight but focused a fair portion of his attention on the wizard. He wouldn't put it past him to attack while his back was turned.

            The two fighters seemed perfectly matched. Pan's energy attacks were every bit as powerful as Dabora's invisible slashes and despite her slender build she was physically as strong as he was. Shin still flinched every time Dabora landed a punch. No doubt Trunks had hit her harder during training sessions over the years but this was different. Not only was every bit of energy she lost being sent to Majin Buu but she was supposed to be under his protection. 

            Majin Buu…

            He turned and watched Babidi out of the corner of his eye. The little wizard was holding some kind of device in his hands. It had a clock-like face and it was rising very slowly.

            He had seen this before. It was measuring how strong Buu was. And it was over half full.

            _Where did Babidi get this much power? He wondered before remembering the two human slaves that had been destroyed. The energy they stole from Pan must already have been injected. _

            He gritted his teeth. He hadn't thought about that. At Pan's present power level she could lose more energy a lot faster than Shin had foreseen. This was bad.

            Dabora pulled a sword out of nowhere and started slashing at her with that. She hovered up in mid-air staring at him. Then she closed her eyes and slowly stretched her head back. _What? Shin watched, amazed. She was still powering up! Her hair began to twitch and suddenly stuck straight out from her head. She screamed as her power level exploded. She was sending out waves and sparks that extended in all directions. Shin was forced to shield his face while sparks danced around Babidi's barrier. _

            If there was a higher power than himself in the universe, Shin thanked it that Pan was on his side. She glared at the Demon King and he gave a short laugh.

            "Not bad Earthling. I might actually have to break a sweat destroying you." He said.

            "And then this big green monster appeared. It seemed to know Trunks and they were talking for a while. Then Pan told me to get out of there." Videl was explaining to Bulma and Master Roshi. 

            "Would that be Cell then?" Roshi asked. Videl nodded.

            "Yeah. But he wasn't how Bulma described him. He didn't have a long tail and his face was more human."

            Suddenly she felt a strong presence in the room. She jumped up, wondering what was happening now, and then Trunks appeared.

            "_Trunks!" Bulma shouted and rushed to hug her son. "We've been so worried!"_

            "What happened? Where's Pan?" Videl demanded. Trunks struggled to disentangle himself from his mother.

            "We're in trouble. Pan and the Supreme Kai went on ahead and let me fight Cell, but it was a trap. Now I can't get to them and they're fighting the wizard." Videl felt the blood drain from her face.

            "Well what are you doing here? You've got to find a way to get to them!" she shouted.

            "I can't reach them. I tried. Even the Instant Transmission doesn't work." He turned to Bulma. "We need a space craft. Do you still have that Saiyan space pod you were tinkering with?"

            "Well yeah, it's ready but where are you going?" she asked.

            "The new planet Namek. We need Dende to create some Dragonballs for us."

            "Dende? That tiny little guy?"

            "Yeah. You coming Videl?" he asked. Videl stared flatly.

            "Of course I am. Let's go." She followed him towards the workshop.

            "Hey wait!" Bulma stopped them. "Do you even know where New Namek is? Because I don't." Trunks stopped dead.

            "Oh no." he said. "_Trunks you moron, you could have asked Goku where it is, couldn't you?" he shouted at himself. Videl's stomach dropped. It had felt like all their problems had been solved._

            "Now what?" she sat down again. Poor Pan. She should never have let her fight. She should have listened to Chichi and made her become a neurologist…

            _I have a suggestion if you want to hear it, a voice said out of nowhere. Videl jumped and looked around. Bulma and Trunks did the exact same thing._

            "Who said that?" Bulma asked looking seriously freaked out.

            _Hi, I'm a friend of Goku's. I'm King Kai. You may have heard of me, yes? _

            "King Kai!" Trunks exclaimed. "Of course! Can you help us?"

            _No, I'm just here for a chat. Of course I can! If you can get here I can point you in the general direction of Namek. Then it's up to you two. How's that grab you?_

_            "All right! Thanks King Kai!" Videl shouted, trying to remember who he was… _

            Trunks grabbed onto her arm.

            "I've never been there before but I can feel his life force now…" the world around them flickered and disappeared.

            Pan strained against Dabora, using every last ounce of strength to keep the sword blade away from her face. They were both suspended in mid-air but he was on top. She felt a sweat drop running down her face. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

            With one last roar she split the blade in two. Before Dabora could recover she delivered a boot to the gut as hard as she could. He doubled over in pain and she slammed her fists into his back, sending him crashing down to the ground. She breathed heavily and fell back into a defensive stance. Her suit was torn all over and blood kept on running into her eye from a cut on her forehead. On top of the fighting she kept on having to dodge Dabora's spit.

            She wasn't sure she could do this. 

            Pan glanced down and saw Shin and Babidi were still standing and watching the battle. Babidi was cackling.

            "She's almost done Kai! Look at her! She's going to collapse any second!" Shin didn't reply. He was too busy staring at her with a mixture of terror and worry on his face. 

            _Come on Pan you can do this. Just this one battle, then you can take a break. She told herself. She forced herself to recharge again, then floated down to where Dabora had disappeared into a pile of rubble. _

            "Come on Demon I haven't got all day!" she shouted. With a great roar he burst out of the crater and showered her with rocks. 

            "You would do well to give up Earthling." He said. At least this could be said for the guy: he fought more than he bragged. It seemed that most bad guys these days spent more time talking than fighting. 

            "Thanks for the advice." She leapt at him again and the battle continued. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't hold the advantage. They were almost identically matched!

            He sank his fist into her stomach, causing her to double over in pain. Before he could finish her she reappeared behind him and tried to land a kick to the neck, which he blocked and sent her flying upwards. She slowed her speed and shot a blast at him. She missed. 

            Suddenly she remembered Trunks telling her about a technique of Piccolo's from the alternate timeline…

            "Scatter shot!" she screamed and let loose dozens of tiny blasts. A couple hit the mark, he deflected some and the rest missed.

            "You'll have to do better than that." He sneered.

            "Mashenkoha!" she let fly another, larger one which he easily dodged. He disappeared and reappeared behind her, knocking her to the ground. She landed (comparatively) lightly. Her feet only dug to knee depth in the solid rock. She felt the shock travel up her entire body. "Ow! You bastard!" she shouted, shooting beams at him. He laughed as he dodged. 

            "Quit wasting your energy and fight!" he flew towards her. Pan balled her hands into fists again and prepared to battle.

            Shin watched in horror as Pan fought on. He had no idea how she could take that much punishment. Dabora struck her in the stomach and she released another Scatter Shot. He frowned. What was she doing? She knew those blasts weren't strong enough to do any real damage. She wasn't thinking straight.

            "Pan! Stop shooting!" he shouted uselessly. It wasn't like she could hear him at that point.

            "Yes she does seem a tad frustrated, doesn't she? I guess she could have used a bit more training before you brought her here to destroy me." Babidi said conversationally. Shin glared. He'd never wanted it to come down to this. It was meant to be him, Trunks and Pan fighting together. Instead Trunks was cut off from them and he couldn't step in without Babidi interfering. He ground his teeth. "Of course she is very talented. I should have liked to control her under other circumstances. Powerful. A lot more attractive than most of my fighters too." He added. Shin glared. 

            Pan slammed her knee into Dabora's chest. He gasped and spit flew out of his mouth. Pan hastily dodged and sent another energy wave after him.

            "Perhaps I won't have Dabora kill her. I'm sure that once she realizes how weak and helpless you really are she'd be happy to join the winning side." Babidi mused. 

            "I doubt it. I don't control my friends. They are here of their own free will." Shin growled. Babidi shifted uncomfortably. Shin knew for a fact that he had no willing fighters under him.

            "They're fools then. Look at her. She's getting weaker with every blow. It's you that convinced her to come here and it's you that's going to get her killed. Or not…" Babidi grinned evilly. "Dabora's been looking a little downcast lately. He might enjoy some female company." Shin's skin crawled in disgust and he felt his hatred of the wizard growing. 

            "Careful Wizard." Babidi gave a loud, annoying laugh. 

            "I do believe I struck a chord there, didn't I Kai? Taken a liking to the little human have we? Well just remember whatever Dabora chooses to do to her; it was you who brought her into this." Shin stared up at the two fighters, trying to ignore what Babidi had said. No. She would be fine. She would beat Dabora, and then the two of them would gang up on Babidi…

            But then a vision of her battered and broken body lying on the battlefield with Dabora standing over her swam up in front of his eyes. Or worse, a mangled and powered-down Pan cowering against a boulder as the leering Demon King approached…

            "_No!" Shin roared, lashing out at the wizard. His fist connected with the barrier and sparks flickered from the contact. Babidi instantly realized his mistake. Dabora was not there to help him and now he had an enraged Supreme Kai slowly forcing his way through the barrier. _

            Shin hadn't gotten the position of a Kai for nothing. The ground around him shook as he powered up further and further. Blue energy waves arced away from him and the point of contact between him and Babidi was glowing brighter by the second. Shin pushed harder and harder until he felt his power approaching its maximum. With a flash that almost blinded him he released his energy blast and shattered the barrier. 

            Babidi darted backwards and held his hands out.

            "No! _Guardians!" he screamed. Before Shin could continue his attack wisps of white vapor escaped from Babidi's fingertips. Faster than he could see they wound themselves around his arms and torso in an invincible grip. He could see them taking the shape of humanoid figures and where their hands touched he felt a burning cold. It felt as if acid had been poured over him. He struggled against them and Babidi cackled._

            "Keep trying rat! They'll tear you apart!" The figures broke down and assumed the form of a humungous tentacled beast. They wrapped themselves tighter around his throat and chest until he felt ribs crack. He cried out.

            "I've won Kai!" Babidi shouted gleefully as he produced an energy ball. It grew larger and larger…

            _Not like this! Shin squeezed his eyes shut and felt his power build up. He couldn't die this way. Without him even Pan couldn't save the universe from Buu._

            His eyes flashed a brilliant blue and blinding waves of energy beat back at Babidi's creature. Shin screamed and felt as though he were being torn apart from the inside. The energy kept coming until the tentacles were forced to let go of him. The white wisps were blown away before being incinerated, and then there was just him and the wizard. Every breath was painful but he stared down at Babidi.

            Panicking, Babidi released the energy blast. Shin held out his hand and caught it. _This is it! He began to laugh. If possible, Babidi's eyes grew even rounder._

            "All your work was useless! You will be destroyed by the same person who killed your father!" Shin shouted through the laughter, positive he sounded almost as insane as the wizard as he said it. "I will enjoy this." He hissed. His eyes flashed again and the energy ball tripled in size and turned from yellow to blue. Babidi was gibbering stupidly and frantically trying to back away as he released it. 

            There was no resistance at all. Babidi was not a fighter and had always depended on others to defend him. Therefore Shin was not surprised when the beam went straight through him. He let out one last strangled cry that sounded like "Purple rat!" before he was reduced to a pile of ashes. 

            Shin stood and stared at the pathetic remains of his arch enemy. He couldn't believe his own strength. He would never have dreamed he could summon up that much power.

            "For Kibito." He said. He felt his energy leave him. The pain returned and the world around him went black.


	5. 5 (see a pattern emerging here?)

            Videl stood impatiently next to Trunks while the odd looking North Kai pointed his antennae in several different directions. She was worried sick about Pan. 

            "Have you found them yet?" Trunks asked yet again. The Kai turned around and glared through his sunglasses.

            "If you stopped asking then maybe I would find them faster!" he snapped. Trunks blinked.

            "Sorry." He apologized and started pacing. Videl tried to calm down. They didn't even know if Pan was in trouble. For all they knew she could have beaten Babidi and Buu and be on her way to Capsule Corp with the news by now!

            "I've got it! He he you thought I couldn't but I did! Man do you owe me one..."

            "Will you just tell us where it is?" Trunks cut him off. King Kai crossed his arms.

            "I really shouldn't. You can be very rude when you're trying. You're far too much like your father, you know that. I remember back when they were on Planet Namek…"

            "King Kai will you please focus? We need to get to Namek!" Videl interrupted. 

            "Yes, yes. It's over in that direction." He pointed out behind his little house.

            "Thanks King Kai. We'll be in touch."

            "Right, don't be strangers you hear? I always enjoy company and…" Trunks grabbed her arm again and the small planet disappeared.

            They re-integrated on a very odd looking planet. The sky was green and there were hundreds of tall trees with bluish balls of leaves right up top. 

            Trunks had brought them right into the middle of a village made up of small dome-shaped buildings. Videl stared around curiously. Gohan had often spoken of Namek but she'd never thought to actually see it for herself.

            Several tall, green aliens were approaching them. Some were dressed like warriors while others looked to be farmers or scholars. The oldest looking one approached them.

            "Who are you? Are you friend or foe?" he asked. Videl swallowed.

            "Do you want to handle this?" She'd never even seen a Namek before.

            "My name is Trunks. I come from the planet Earth and I am a friend of Goku's." he announced. There was a startled murmur from the small gathering.

            "Goku? The Saiyan who saved us?"

            "Earth? We haven't heard from them for ages!"

            "Why does he look so familiar? I have not met anyone named Trunks."

            "I am the son of Vegeta. Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and the others were killed many years ago in a battle on my planet." There was another shocked outburst.

            "What do you want from us, Saiyan?" one man asked angrily. 

            "We come seeking a Namek named Dende." Videl stepped forward.

            "Why do you want him?" A younger Namek in scholars' robes inquired. Videl looked to him.

            "We are looking for a guardian for our planet to replace Kami. To cut a long story short, we know that Dende would be the best suited for the position." Trunks said.

            "Who are you?" the young man asked Videl. 

            "I was Gohan's wife before he died." The young man paled.

            "Gohan's dead?" he looked crestfallen. Videl nodded sadly.

            "About fourteen years ago."

            "So you wish to resurrect these fighters using the Dragonballs." The older Namek cut in. Trunks shook his head.

            "No. It is too late for them now. There is something more important at stake now." He told them a far shortened version of the story the Supreme Kai had told him.

            "And now Pan is fighting Babidi and we don't know if she is all right. If she and the Kai are dead then the universe will be destroyed." He finished. The audience was silent.

            "We had sensed strange energy coming from your section of the galaxy but didn't know it was this bad." Someone else from the crowd broke the silence.

            "You can count on our help. I will come with you." The young alien – Dende – said. Videl smiled at the green guy.

            "Thankyou." She said. Trunks nodded. Dende turned to the others.

            "I will go now. Send someone to collect our own Dragonballs. They may also be needed." 

            "Well…shall we go?" Videl asked. He turned to her.

            "Yes." He hesitated. "If there is time when we get to Earth will you tell me more of Gohan?" he asked. Videl smiled in spite of the sudden wave of sadness she felt.

            "Sure." She took hold of his hand. "Let's go." She, Dende and Trunks vanished from Namek.

            Pan hung in mid aid not sure of how much more she could take. She was dead tired and could sure go for a PowerAde right about now…

            Dabora rose up from the ground in slightly better shape than her. She was losing energy but she kept up appearances. She straightened out and cracked her knuckles.

            "So, you finished your warm-up yet?" she asked. Dabora sneered.

            "Stop bluffing. I know your energy is falling. Don't treat me like a fool." Hmm. Trunks always did the whole bluffing thing so well…it must be in the genes. 

            Suddenly she caught sight of Shin and gasped. When had he fought? She had been so caught up in her own battle that she hadn't noticed his. He was sprawled out on the ground unconscious or worse. Babidi was nowhere to be seen.

            _It's time to end this, she thought. She powered up for what she hoped was the last time._

            She flew at him and they traded blows. She mostly blocked and waited for the perfect opportunity…now!

            She kicked out and sent him flying up into the air. He stopped just where she wanted him. Finally something was going right.

            "Scatter Shot!" she screamed, sending out more powerful shots than before. Dabora effortlessly dodged them.

            "You'll have to do better than that." He shouted. She stopped and allowed herself a smile. Dabora's faltered and he frowned. 

            Most of Pan's fighting skill came from Gohan, yet her mother was extremely talented in manipulating energy beams. Pan liked to think this technique came from her…

            She held out her hands and began to scan for her energy signature in the area. She concentrated…

            With a flash the sky was filled with blinding light. Every bolt she had discharged and missed with flared into existence and floated lazily around Dabora.

            He whirled around, staring at the revolving beams. She could see his confidence falter.

            "Fool! You're still not strong enough to defeat me!" he roared. Pan held her hands together. _Here goes nothing! The bolts and beams flew around faster, effectively sealing him in place._

            "Ka…" she said quietly, calling up every bit of energy she had left. "Me…Ha…Me…" the beams separated to allow her a clear shot at the Demon. "HAAAAAA!" she screamed and released the blast. 

            The intensity of the blast almost threw her backwards and her hands burned as the cold white fire sped towards the Demon King. The yellow-white beams surrounding the demon king expanded for a moment, then all contracted in on him in perfect time with the Kamehameha wave. She pushed more and more power into the blast until the force of all the explosions splintered the energy and the beam itself collapsed.

            The shockwave sent her flying backwards into a boulder which cracked and collapsed on top of her. _Damn rocks! She felt the energy outside slowly decrease until there was only a small, dark energy source left._

            Dabora was fighting for his life. His energy was almost non-existent. Pan could feel her body was just about falling apart but she had to get up. She kicked the rocks out of the way and stumbled unsteadily onto the battleground. Then she saw him.

            He lay on his back on a flat piece of rock staring upwards. His chest heaved and she could hear his rasping breath from meters away. There was nothing else left.

            About halfway down his torso simply didn't exist anymore. He had the stump of one arm left. His clothes were saturated with blood. She stared, horrified. She had expected either instant death or total failure. But this…

            He saw her standing there and drew in a deep breath. _He's going to spit! Pan got ready to dodge but he opened his mouth._

            "Kill me." He hissed. His words were like a blow to the stomach. Pan stared, horrified. He grew louder. "Kill me!" Pan felt tears build up in her eyes but knew what she had to do.

            "I'm sorry." She whispered. Too fast for a normal human to see, she slammed the side of her hand down on his nose, cracking it and driving bone into his brain. He died.

            She stared down at the corpse for a long moment, then felt her stomach heave.

            Shin's unconscious mind instinctively reverted to its usual activity. He saw new stars being born and old ones going supernova. A new species was evolving in the South Quadrant of the universe. One of the Warlords in the West Quadrant was going around enslaving several systems. He would have to get the West Kai onto that…

            A surge of energy in the North caught his attention. Two enormous powers were battling, one light and one dark. The two looked evenly matched, maybe even tilting slightly in the dark fighter's favor. But suddenly he was surrounded by the white light…and then his light was extinguished.

            Shin tried to look closer to see what happened but his mind was strangely sluggish. After a few moments it went blank completely.

            After losing her lunch Pan wiped her mouth and slowly made her way to the Supreme Kai's side. He looked almost as helpless as Dabora had. He lay on his side with his face half-covered by his arm. She rolled him over and gasped. His smooth lavender skin was covered in red welts and dark bruises. The skin from his throat looked as though he had been burned and he had blood seeping through his combat suit.

            "What happened to you?" she hissed quietly. His eyes were half-closed and his breathing seemed ragged. "Come on you can do it. I can't fight Buu on my own." Almost forgotten, the huge ball still pulsated with eerie light only meters away from them. She gently rested her hand on his chest. She had never tried to do this before…

            Gathering up some of what was left of her energy she channeled it through her fingertips and into the Kai. At first she thought it wasn't going to work; her power was slightly different from his. But then she felt it being absorbed into his body and smiled weakly. He was still beaten to a pulp but his breathing was stronger.

            His eyes fluttered open and drifted absently around before he managed to focus on her. He frowned and looked confused, then he sat bolt upright.

            "Pan! That was you!" he exclaimed before breaking down into a coughing fit. She lightly rubbed his back until it stopped.

            "It's all right. He's gone." She said. 

            "Babidi?" he asked.

            "You took care of that." She smiled again. "That was nice work."

            "Thankyou." He took several deep breaths and flinched. "Are you all right?" he asked. The image of Dabora just before he died floated to the surface of her mind.

            "I'm fine." She answered automatically. Shin frowned and then a look of horror passed over his features. _What is it? She thought, and then it struck her. He had seen that image. He could read her thoughts._

            "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry I brought you into this." Pan bowed her head.

            "You had no choice. Besides, we would have had to fight in the end and Buu would have destroyed us all." She said. "At least it's over now." Shin stared at her.

            "Pan, we have already lost." _What?_

            "But Buu was never released." She looked over at where the power-meter had fallen beside the Buu-ball. It was just off being full. "He's not at full power. He can't be hatched." Shin shook his head.

            "The ball is on a timer Pan. He will be released any minute now. And neither of us is in any condition to fight him." He laughed weakly. "Whoever gave me this job made a real mess of things."

            Pan's stomach dropped. All of that fighting and for nothing! They would all die anyway!

            "No. Trunks is still alive. Even if we're not here he will defeat Buu." Pan said. Shin shook his head.

            "Alone he has no more chance than I do."

            "Don't underestimate the power of a Super-Saiyan." Pan said stiffly. Shin looked at her and slowly smiled.

            "Very well then. Trunks will destroy Buu and the Universe will be safe." He sighed. Pan grinned and lay back on the hard ground.

            "I'm having a break before Buu hatches. I think I've earned it." She announced. Shin chuckled and collapsed beside her.

            "That is a very good idea."

            The sky darkened and a bright streak of golden light burst high above the Lookout. Videl stood open-mouthed and staring, as did Dende. Even Trunks who had seen the dragon before found it a spectacular sight.

            "I am the eternal dragon and I will grant you two wishes." It announced. Trunks grinned at the young Namek.

            "Well done Dende. He's perfect." Dende had offered to provide three wishes but Trunks remembered that two would be more powerful. Dende grinned and his cheeks turned a little purple.

            "Thanks." He cleared his throat. "Dragon, we wish that the fighter Pan and the Supreme Kai be brought back to life."

            "That wish cannot be granted. The two you speak of are not dead." It announced. Videl screeched and hugged Trunks.

            "Well now what do we wish for?" Dende asked.

            "How about to know what is happening down there?" Videl suggested.

            _I can tell you that now. Pan and the Supreme Kai have won their battles but they're both in bad shape. Buu is going to be released any minute._

             Trunks frowned and began pacing. Well, first thing was first…

            "Dragon, I wish for Pan and the Supreme Kai to be restored to maximum power." He shouted. The dragon's eyes glowed.

            "Your wish has been granted."

            Pan lay on her side watching the Supreme Kai. He had passed out again but he seemed to be merely asleep rather than dying. She reached over and pushed a piece of white hair away from his face. It was hard to believe this was the ruler of the universe. He looked no older than she was. She wished she'd had a chance to get to know him better. Oh well. Maybe in the next life.

            She looked over at the pulsating ball containing Buu and wondered what kind of creature was inside. Was it a beast like Yarkaan, or did it contain a real fighter like Dabora? She glared. If she was given time she was willing to bet she could take it on. Trunks once told her that Saiyans grew more powerful after each battle, especially one they'd nearly died in.

            "Come on Buu. Hurry up." She muttered. She was determined to get in at least one good blow before kicking the bucket. Then it would all be up to Trunks. 

            Suddenly her skin pricked all over. Her insides churned and her injuries flared up in excruciating pain. She doubled over and heard Shin cry out beside her. But then something else happened. She felt energy building up inside her and bursting uncontrolled to the surface. She roared as it burst out, forcing her into the Ascended Saiyan level.

            She was completely healed.

            She whirled around and saw Shin floating above the ground with blue waves traveling up and down his body. His eyes glowed blue. He looked as scared as she felt. How was this happening?

            She didn't care. She dug her feet into the ground and finished powering up. She would destroy the creature before it could hatch. 

            "Kamehame…" she built up the blast but Shin grabbed her hand.

            "No! Wait." He said. Pan stopped. She could hear chuckling.

            _Well she's a Saiyan all right, a voice said. Pan looked around. No one was there. Shin stared up at the empty sky. It was getting onto late afternoon._

            "North Kai! What happened?"

            _Long story short, Trunks restored your power with the Dragonballs. Pan gasped but this was no time for questions. __Now since you're the ruler of the universe and all that we thought maybe you should make the second wish. Shin looked thoughtful._

            "Everything I do lately seems to turn out wrong." He said glumly. "We need to destroy Buu, but the dragon can't do that." He sighed and turned to Pan. "I don't like to ask but I could use your help again." Pan was outraged.

            "Of course I'm going to help!" she cut in. "I won't let you fight him alone." 

            _This is touching, King Kai chimed in._

            "Have the dragon transport us to an uninhabited planet." Shin ordered, ignoring him. There was a pause.

            _Trunks and Videl say they're going too. Dende will stay behind so the Dragonballs will be safe._

_            "All right." The Supreme Kai stood up straighter. "Tell them to make the wish." The presence of King Kai vanished. He grinned and stretched._

            "I'd say our odds of survival have greatly improved." He said. He looked cute when he was happy. He looked down at his tattered outfit and was surrounded by light. Instantly it transformed into a more practical version of his original uniform. Pan laughed.

            "Neat! Now do me!" she said. A moment later she was wearing the same outfit in Piccolo's colors. 

            "Much better." He said. Pan frowned.

            "You seem awfully confident. I sure hope you've got a plan." She commented. The Supreme Kai simply smiled. A moment later the landscape blurred as they were transported elsewhere…


	6. 6

            The sky was a sick bluish-green colour and there were fierce electrical storms far above the newcomers. Shin shivered in the icy wind. When he'd said uninhabited he didn't think the dragon would choose somewhere this desolated. The only vegetation was stunted and sick-looking. He was amazed the place could support life at all.

            "Pan!" a voice cried. He turned to see Videl rush towards the Saiyan girl. Pan's face broke into a smile.

            "Mom!" she caught her slightly shorter mother up in a hug.

            "Pan I was so worried! Are you all right? Ow!" Videl flinched. Pan let go.

            "Sorry." She powered down to avoid accidentally injuring her anymore. She looked odd with dark hair and eyes after seeing her for so long powered up. "I'm fine thanks to you and Trunks. The Supreme Kai was a huge help too." She said happily. Trunks stood back watching the scene with a small smile. It faded when he caught sight of the pulsing ball behind them.

            "So how do we defeat this Buu now?" he asked. The two females grew silent. Shin spoke to the two Saiyans.

            "There is a technique I planned to tell you about before we reached Buu. Indeed if someone-" he looked deliberately at Pan "hadn't flown off instantly to chase Babidi when we got to the space ship I would have told you then." Pan blushed.

            "Well what is it?" she said haughtily.

            "Have the two of you ever tried fusing?" he asked. Trunks stared blankly. Pan glared.

            "No, we haven't. What does that have to do with anything?" she said. Shin fought down a grin in spite of the tense situation.

            "Not that kind of fusion Pan. I meant as in becoming one being and combining powers."

            "Oh." She blushed. 

            "No. How do you do that?" Trunks asked curiously. Shin reached up and removed his earrings.

            "There are two methods. The first takes practice and unfortunately we don't have the time. The second involves each of you wearing one earring. You will fuse automatically."

            "Cool." Pan said and took one. Her face still looked a bit pink. "How long does it last?" Shin hesitated.

            "Actually it's forever but-" He said. 

            "What? No way!" she exclaimed.

            "Can't it be undone?" Trunks demanded. Shin gritted his teeth.

            "_If you would let me finish, if we survive this battle we can ask the dragon to separate you." He suggested. Neither one argued._

            "Well that's all right then." Pan said. Trunks looked thoughtful.

            "No." he said. _Oh no! Now what was the problem?_

            "What is it?" Shin snapped. There wasn't time to argue.

            "Hear me out. After the last battle Pan has far more power than I do. But from what you told us raw power isn't going to help us. You're the only one who has a chance of finding a way to beat him." He said. Shin could see where he was going with this. "So the two of you should fuse."

            Shin was silent. He hadn't thought of this. The idea made sense, but he wasn't sure if they would have enough power between them. 

            "He's right. For once." Pan added. Suddenly there was a loud hiss from behind them. The pedestal on which Buu's ball sat began to discharge steam. Shin stared in horror. It was really happening! There was no time to argue. He stood beside Pan and clipped one earring on. Pan did the same.

            "So how does this…" she began. Shin felt warm all over from a rush of energy, and then Shin, Supreme Kai of the Universe, was no more.

            Trunks watched wide-eyed as the two of them were pulled together. Instantly they were surrounded by light too bright to look at. Videl stood beside and slightly behind him shielding her face. Their energy was increasing all the time, going far above anything Trunks could power up to. He forced his eyes away from them (him/her?) and to the ball of Buu. He narrowed his eyes. Perhaps there was still time to stop this. They had nothing to lose anyway.

            "FINAL FLASH!" He roared, powering up as he gathered energy. With enough force to destroy a planet several times over the twin beams discharged and hit the ball square on the center. 

            The dust cleared and Trunks saw he hadn't even dented it. 

            "Stop Trunks! You'll waste your energy!" Videl shouted. "They may still need you!"

            The being was still powering up. A vague human-like shape was visible through the glowing light. Trunks stood back shielding his face and feeling useless.

            Buu's ball continued to hiss and spit steam into the air. Trunks wondered what kind of creature it contained. He imagined something like Cell but infinitely more powerful. 

            Suddenly the ball twitched and cracked down the middle. Trunks gathered his energy again. Videl held him back.

            "Trunks! You can't do anything." She shouted. He wrenched his arm away.

            "I've got to try!" he shouted over the noise of Pan/the Supreme Kai powering up. He raised his energy level again and charged at the ball, aiming at the slowly opening crack.

            "Gallic Gun!" he cried and let loose an energy wave. The ground shook as it hit the inside of the egg. The two halves were forced apart and cracked under the force of the blast. Trunks continued pouring energy into the ball until it shattered and bits of hard shell flew in all directions. Trunks stared at the crater in the ground while trying to shield his face from the debris.

            It cleared. And there was nothing there.

            He blinked. That couldn't be right. Shouldn't there be…well, a Buu?

            He looked around. All he could see was pinkish steam rising up from the ground where the ball had been. He turned to Videl.

            "Did you see him?" he asked. She shook her head, looking as puzzled as he felt.

            "No…I think you did it Trunks." She smiled slowly. Trunks frowned.

            "I don't think so. The egg must have been empty all along."

            "No listen. If it has been closed up in that egg for all this time it was probably weak and defenseless. It couldn't survive your attack." Trunks shook his head.

            "No. The Kai would have known if that were the case. He wouldn't be so worried if it were possible." Trunks powered down again. "Perhaps he died ages ago and the Kai simply didn't know."

            "No, he's the watcher of the universe. I think he'd know." Videl argued. 

            "Well he's not here now." He looked around once more. "Well this was a colossal waste of time and effort." Videl was staring at him. No…staring _behind him. "What is it?" he turned to watch._

            The pink steam he had dismissed was hanging in mid-air…and was taking shape. _Of course! He watched in terror as it formed the shape of a crude humanoid body. Then the steam condensed. Skin and cloth textures were visible and it grew more solid._

            "Buu!" It shouted. Trunks blinked. _What the…_

_            It was big, fat, pink and extremely ugly. Videl came up behind him._

            "That isn't him! It can't be!" she said. Trunks frowned. Was this all a joke? It looked like a marshmallow!

            "Well…" It danced around. Then Trunks realized it wasn't dancing – it just couldn't catch its balance. "Appearances can be deceiving." He said hopefully. Surely they hadn't gone through all this to fight the stumbling pink blob!

            "All we need to do is skewer it and roast it over a campfire for a couple of hours." Videl commented. Trunks laughed. The creature stopped, turned and stared at them. It smiled. 

            "Buu!" it shouted and ran over to them. Trunks instinctively fell into a fighting stance. It put its hands on its hips and stared at the two of them. It frowned, and then gave a beaming smile. "He he! Buu!"

            "Hey there big guy. You're kinda cute you know that?" Videl commented. His cheeks blushed red and he stumbled backwards. Trunks stared at her. "Well it is." She said defensively. 

            The creature looked around and then froze, looking behind the two of them. Trunks turned around.

            "Remember me Buu?" an oddly familiar voice said. Trunks stared wide-eyed. The fusion walked forward, glaring at the monster. It wore the Supreme Kai's uniform and had lavender skin. Its hair was white and its eyes were violet, obviously powered up beyond the level of Super Saiyan. The ears were pointed and the eyes resembled Shin's but the muscular body obviously came from Pan. Buu opened his eyes and stared hard at it. "Look at my face Buu." It commanded. For an instant it flickered and the features resembled the Kai before going back to…normal? Buu scowled.

            "You!" It said in its childish voice. The fusion glared at it with barely contained rage.

            "I did not have the power to stop you before Buu, but I do now. This is the end." It growled. Buu stared warily, then settled into a clumsy fighting stance. 

            "No. Now you die." He countered. The fusion stood staring for a moment, then reached up and removed its earrings and threw them towards Videl. 

            "Mom, take these. If things look bad fuse with Trunks. You're going to need all the power you can get." It ordered. Videl looked somewhere between confused and terrified.

            "Yes…Pan?" she replied. Pan/Shin flashed her a quick, oddly disturbing smile and then turned back to Buu. It crouched and settled into an odd fighting stance. The two creatures faced each other, glaring. Buu was no longer anywhere near being cute. Its beady eyes glinted evilly.

            "You die now." It announced. Suddenly it attacked, too fast for even Trunks to see but somehow Panshin blocked it. Buu looked surprised. 

            "I told you I was stronger." Panshin said, and then lashed out with its foot. He flew backwards through the air and crashed into a boulder. He bounced to the ground and somehow managed to land more or less on his feet.

            Without hesitating Buu attacked again, flying straight at Panshin and they traded blows Trunks knew were far beyond his power. He watched in horror as Buu's fist caught Panshin's jaw and it flew up into the air. It discharged a bluish energy wave at Buu, missing barely as he disappeared and reappeared on top of it. Panshin turned a second too late. Buu slammed down with both fists and it dropped like a meteor into the ground. Buu floated down and stood on the edge of the crater.

            "Buu!" it shouted happily. Suddenly the ground shook and Panshin stood on the other side of the crater. The two looked at each other. Panshin bared its teeth in a gesture Pan sometimes used. 

            There was complete silence for a long moment, then in perfect time they both flew into the attack together.

            Panshin fought back furiously. Buu was slightly stronger than her but it was nowhere near as powerful as it had been when Shin had faced him all those centuries ago. Her mind flashed back to the power-level reader that was almost but not quite on full. Perhaps it needed to be at full power to reach the bottomless well of energy it used in the past.

            She landed a blow on the disgusting creature's face and knocked it skywards. With a loud battle cry she followed through with several kicks and punches that sank right into its thick hide. Buu paused in mid-air. Panshin stopped and watched. It discharged some steam out of the orifices in the top of its head and shoulders and the punch-marks popped back out, repairing the smooth and shiny skin. It gave her a chilly smile.

            "Buu all better now." It taunted. _All right then. Punching doesn't work too well on this lump of lard. Panshin started to gather energy._

            "Ka…Me…Ha…MEHA!" she shouted and discharged the blue blast straight at Buu. Its expression changed to one of shock before it was consumed by the blast. Buu was thrown backwards higher and higher into the air. Panshin watched as he was blasted out of the atmosphere and into space. There was silence in the area.

            "All right!" Trunks shouted from behind her. .

            "Way to go! That was awesome!" Videl echoed his enthusiasm, practically dancing around. Panshin whirled around and glared.

            "It's not over yet!" she snapped. The two were instantly silent. The air around them was still.

            Then there was a streak of light in the dark green sky heading straight towards them. "Move!" she roared as she became airborne. The others took off just in time to miss being crushed by the falling meteor that was Buu.

            "Buu mad now!" it screeched and launched itself at Panshin. She defended herself from its rage-enhanced attack and then powered up a different blast.

            "Special Beam Cannon!" she cried at let loose the spiraling beam of energy. It hit Buu right in the center of his mass. It tore right through the middle of him and continued out the other end. The light faded and Buu hung in mid-air staring at the hole in his stomach. Panshin laughed. "Gotcha you big pink bastard!" she taunted. Buu scowled. An instant later the wound had regenerated. Panshin growled. "Scatter Shot!" dozens of beams were released from her hands as she hurled them towards Buu. He didn't even try to dodge. Again, when the light faded she could see chunks taken out of his body all over. But several moments later the flesh began to grow back. _What is this thing? Panshin thought, starting to panic. What could she do now but fight on the way she had?_


	7. 7

For the first time since the two of them fused Panshin began to dread the outcome of this battle. Buu may not be all-powerful anymore but he did seem indestructible. She fought out of sheer instinct while her mind desperately searched for an idea. 

            Well in the alternate timeline Cell had been defeated by destroying every cell in his body, but Panshin wasn't prepared to throw all her energy into an untested theory until no other solution was available. 

            She sent the edge of her hand into Buu's neck with enough energy to decapitate even Trunks. Again, it made a dent that was quickly healed. Buu rewarded her with a brutal blow to the gut. She dropped like a sack of potatoes.

            "No!" Trunks roared as Panshin hit the ground. "That's it!" He powered up and took off, unable to watch any longer. Every attack Panshin tried failed and now she was having trouble defending herself. Like it or not, they needed his help. He flew faster than most people could see, but Buu slowly turned to face him. 

            "Go away. Buu no want fight you." It dismissed him. Trunks powered up an energy blast he and Videl had been working on. 

            "You have no choice in the matter!" He shouted as it grew larger and split in two. They flattened into disks and began to spin. With a wordless shout he released them and they soared away in two wide arcs. Buu whirled around and saw them coming towards him. He dodged them once but they kept following him. "Buu no like this!" it screeched, dodging again. The disks sped up and eventually caught up to him. They met right in the center of where its neck should have been, exploding into a shower of sparks that traveled throughout his body. His head flew off his shoulders and both parts of his body sailed down to the ground. Seeing the head Trunks began firing blasts at it, determined to destroy the pink monstrosity once and for all. 

            The smoke cleared and there was a smoldering mass of black slime on the ground. Trunks' energy had been drained but he walked over to it to make sure it was gone. 

            Panshin burst out of the ground, scattering the area with debris. She looked around.

            "What did you do?" she demanded. Trunks turned and gave her a tired smile.

            "I think I got him." He said. Panshin walked up to the mess on the ground and nudged it with her foot. Black goo attached itself to her boot.

            "I think…" she said cautiously. "you might have…" Suddenly she whirled around. "Where's the body?" Trunks felt the blood drain from his face and scanned the area for it. It was half-buried under a pile of rocks…but it was beginning to twitch. 

            It sat up and felt around with its short arms. It got up a little unsteadily and promptly walked into a large boulder.

            "Quick! Before it has a chance to attack!" Panshin roared and flew into the attack. Just as she was almost there the headless Buu whirled around and knocked her out of the air. Trunks could only watch in horror as it hunched over and pulled a slab of flesh from its body and squish it down onto its neck like a lump of clay. Immediately it began to transform and take the shape of its former head.

            It turned to Trunks and grinned. Then without a word it launched a beam at him that lifted him off the ground. Trunks cried out, using all of his energy to stop it from tearing through his body. He felt himself being carried high into the air. The ground grew further and further away but he could do nothing about it…

            Then without warning the beam shattered. Trunks shielded his face as the sparks flew away like fireworks and caught his breath. What use was he if an offhand energy bolt like that could destroy him? He glared and recharged before flying back down to the surface again.

            Panshin and Buu were at it again. 

            "Trunks you maniac! Are you all right?" Videl shouted, running over to him. 

            "I'm fine!" he snapped, frustrated at his inability to help. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. If Panshin had been fighting Buu for the last few seconds…

            "Videl…did you do that?" he asked. Videl frowned.

            "Well Pan was busy…" Trunks balked. _She had disabled an attack from Buu? She grew defensive. "I may not be a Saiyan but I've had a long time to practice my energy techniques over the last few years…what?" Trunks stared at her, amazed. He had no idea she was this good with energy manipulation. With her abilities and his power…_

            "Videl give me an earring." He ordered. She grew white.

            "We're not going to…" He nodded once. "We all have to fight together." He said. She looked bewildered.

            "But I'm only human!" she completely backtracked from her former argument. Trunks snatched an earring from her and clipped it on. She looked down at hers, and then up at Panshin fighting in mid-air. "All right, but I don't know what good it will do." She said. She put hers on and instantly Trunks' body began to break down.

            Panshin knew she was losing but kept fighting back anyway. She was fighting at full power and seemed to be almost evenly matched with Buu except for the fact she couldn't hurt him. Every dent in his hide she made was instantly repaired.

            She dodged flying energy bolts and blocked his blows but she was losing energy every time he landed a punch. He swung at her again and she grabbed his hands. He pushed harder and harder and she shoved back. Perhaps if she could tear his arms off she'd have a few seconds to attack before he regenerated.

            Buu stared at her out of his beady little eyes and with a new burst of energy pushed her backwards slowly straight into a cliff face. She could sense the hard rock wall getting closer and knew she would be almost helpless if he pinned her…

            Suddenly a bright flash knocked them apart. Panshin turned her free-fall into a jump, bounced off the cliff wall and landed smoothly on the ground.

            Trunks was standing beside her fully powered up again.

            "We need to fight together." He said. Panshin frowned. His voice sounded strange. He was wearing the Potarra earrings too…Panshin nodded. Videl was there too. She could sense it.

            "Right. Ready?" Panshin got ready to leap at the recovering Buu. Trunks/Videl grabbed her arm.

            "No. We're doing it differently." He said. Panshin glared.

            "Last time I checked I was in charge here." 

            "Pan this is no time to argue. Just hold him. I'll do the rest." The older man said. _Hold him? Panshin's mind wandered back to the martial arts tournament when Spopovich and Yamu had drained Pan's energy. She could do it but she wasn't sure what good it would do._

            "All right." She agreed. Buu got up and scowled. With a high battle-cry he flew towards them faster and faster until he was only ten meters or so away. Panshin roared and held her hands out, catching him in an invisible grip. He twisted and squirmed and Panshin felt her grip loosening. "Hurry!" she shouted. Videl/Trunks put his hands together in front of him. Instantly a greenish glow appeared between them. It grew brighter and brighter and began to flicker like fire. Buu struggled furiously.

            "You no beat me Kai!" it screeched and doubled its efforts. Panshin abandoned all restraints and poured all of her power into the bind, letting Videnks gather all the energy he needed. The glow was now too bright to look like and had streaks of black mixed with the green. Smoke rose from it. _What kind of blast is that? Neither Pan nor Shin had ever seen one like it. Energy sparks traveled all over Videnks' body and ran through his fingertips into the blast. He crouched lower to the ground and drew his arms back._

            "Nova blast!" He cried and let go of the beam. It moved slowly but Panshin could feel intense heat coming off it as it passed her. She held on tighter as Buu began to panic. Her grip slipped but she recovered it and held the creature tightly in the path of the blast. The beam moved closer and closer until Panshin heard a searing hiss and a scream from Buu. It was slowly eating away at his body.

            Panshin watched as the thing writhed in pain. It didn't need her to hold on anymore but she refused to let go. This was working! Steam rose from its orifices, this time a pink colour. She watched warily, remembering that it originally came from the pink steam, but then it darkened and turned muddy black before it was scattered. 

            With one last scream Buu was engulfed by the green flames and reduced to ashes.

            Panshin's connection with Buu was severed and she stumbled backwards. She tried to regain her balance but she was disoriented. She saw Videnks rush past her towards where Buu had been, but there was nothing there but blackened ground.

            "Is he gone?" she asked wearily. Videnks looked around.

            "I can't sense him anywhere. Can you?"

            "No." She called out to the North Kai. "Has he gone?"

            _Well you're the guardian of the Universe. You tell me! He sniffed. Panshin was just about at the end of her patience._

            "YES OR NO?" She shouted. 

            _Yes, you got him. Nicely done, he replied. Panshin sat still for a while waiting for the realization to hit her. They had won!_

            "We did it!" she shouted.

            "Are you sure?" Videnks demanded. Panshin nodded.

            "North Kai can see everything from up there. He'd be able to tell if Buu were still alive." She answered, unable to stop the grin from spreading across her face. The two of them both laughed and rushed forward into a hug at the same time before the more reserved sides of Trunks and the Supreme Kai took over again. Panshin powered down and Videnks did the same. Panshin blinked. The fusion standing before him was a black-haired Trunks in Videl's work-out clothes. She couldn't stop the chuckle surfacing. He in turn was staring at her waist-long black Mohawk. 

            "Time to make a couple of wishes?" Videnks suggested. Panshin grinned.

            "Yes. There is no point standing around here. Buu is gone for good." She replied. Videnks grabbed her arm and they were transported to the Planet Namek.

            They materialized in the middle of a tiny village in front of a gathering of fifty or so people. They didn't look surprised to see the newcomers. An elder stood forward.

            "We have collected the Dragonballs. Do you have wishes to make?" he asked. Panshin bowed. 

            "We do Elder." She said simply. He spoke in Namek. Instantly the sky darkened and the balls pulsed and glowed. A beam of light shot upwards into the sky and an enormous dragon appeared.

            "I am the Eternal Dragon Parunga. I will now grant you three wishes." He announced. Videnks gestured for her to go first. 

            "I wish for the Fusion Panshin to be separated into the two beings Pan and the Supreme Kai!" she shouted. The elder Namek repeated the wish in his native tongue. Instantly Panshin felt herself being torn apart from the inside-out.

            Shin staggered sideways and fell gracelessly to his knees, utterly exhausted. He sat down on the ground and tried to catch his breath. Now _that had easily been his hardest battle ever. He searched around for Pan and spotted her collapsed in a heap on the ground not far away from him. Videnks now faced the Dragon._

            "I wish for the Fusion Videnks to be separated into the two beings Trunks and Videl." It said. He was surrounded by white light and two people fell to the ground. Shin grinned. They would be all right. He looked around at the other beings gathered there.

            "I would make one more wish unless anyone else objects." He said politely as he stood up. He was the Supreme Kai. Of course no one would object. He cleared his throat. "I wish for the one called Kibito to be wished back to life." Pan's face lit up.

            "Your wishes have been granted. Farewell." Parunga said. He transformed into glowing energy before the Dragonballs raised and scattered. The sky turned back to its normal pale green. Though he was exhausted Shin turned and bowed to the Nameks gathered in the area. 

            "Thankyou." He said. The elder bowed back.

            "We were pleased to help Supreme Kai." He answered. Shin turned back to his three friends.

            "Shall we leave?" he asked. Videl and Trunks pulled each other up while he offered his arm to Pan. She leaned heavily against him. The fight had taken a lot out of her too. All four of them placed their fingers to their foreheads in unison and disappeared from the planet.

            They all materialized on the surface where the entrance to Babidi's ship was. Shin felt a familiar presence and saw his large pink friend standing right where he had been killed.

            "Kibito!" he shouted and flew off to meet him. Without thinking he threw himself at the bigger man and hugged him. Then he blushed and backed off. It seemed a bit of Pan had rubbed off on him. The older man looked bewildered.

            "Supreme Kai." He greeted formally. Shin laughed out loud, delighted to have his friend back. The other three landed behind him and Pan also rushed forward to hug Kibito. From the time they'd spent fused Shin knew she'd taken an instant liking to Kibito. He shook his head, dazed.

            "I watched the battle from the North Kai's planet. You all fought well." He said. Shin shook his head. He sounded like their father or something.

            "Thankyou." He replied wryly. Kibito nodded once. Shin sighed sadly. The sun was disappearing over the mountains and the day was almost over. He had taken up enough of these peoples' time. "I believe it is time for us to take our leave." 

            Three voices joined together in protest.

            "Stay a while longer!"

            "Come on! You can't leave now!"

            "At least stay for dinner. My grandma's a really great cook!"

            "No. I'm afraid I should go." Shin said firmly. He wasn't meant to stay on other peoples' planets any longer than necessary.

            "But we won! We have to celebrate and get shi-"

            "Pan!"

            "Sorry. Fitshaced!" Pan hastily substituted. Shin shook his head.

            "Thankyou for the offer," he suppressed a smile. "But this is where we part ways." He shook hands with Trunks and Videl and Kibito did the same. He turned to Pan who looked quite upset. She covered it up with a smile.

            "Don't be strangers, all right?" she said. Shin nodded, not sure what to say. He'd only known her for a day but he'd grown fond of her already. She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek, then hugged Kibito and stood back. Shin felt his cheeks heat up again.

            "Goodbye." He said as they both disappeared.

            The two of them materialized on the planet Kaioshin. Kibito was standing there with a slightly amused look on his face.

            "Not one word Kibito." Shin said, hoping he sounded menacing. The bigger man walked away without a word but Shin was sure he heard a chuckle escape his usually solemn friend. Shin shook his head. No respect whatsoever!

            And speaking of no respect…his stomach sank when he felt himself being summoned. The five Kais of underworld wanted to see him. He just got back! Oh well. Kibito knew where he was going.

            He materialized on the Grand Kai's planet in front of the large house and flashy car in the driveway. The five Kais stood watching him.

            "My my if it isn't the Supreme Kai." Quipped East.

            "That was quite a battle for an amateur. Of course I could have gotten it over a lot faster." Grand Kai commented.

            "Hello." Shin greeted them through clenched teeth. The four Kais were powerful in their own ways and the Grand Kai more so than the rest. For that they gave him a certain reverence. But because Shin was so much younger than the rest of them they treated him like a child, no matter that he was far more powerful than they were ever going to become.

            "You know, you should really have destroyed that Buu a long time ago." South advised him.

            "Oh leave him alone! He's had a rough day." North defended him. 

            "Yes. I have. So why have you summoned me here when I could be taking a break before going back to watching the universe?" Shin asked irritably. Grand Kai fidgeted with his long beard.

            "Well, I don't like to say this but we watched the battle and we really think you almost blew it down there." He began. Shin glared. He knew for a fact that the old man had given up training two hundred years ago.

            "I got the job done." He said stiffly.

            "Now Supreme Kai, you're a perfectly capable fighter and all that but you really could do with some training." Grand continued, poking him in the stomach. Shin blinked.

            "I do have a job to do you know! I don't have time to train."

            "That's why we're suspending you." South said. _What?_

_            "Excuse me?" Surely they couldn't be serious._

            "Well it's come to our attention that at the moment you're about the third or possibly fourth most powerful being in the universe, and you're way behind the others. We want you to spend a couple of decades in training." East explained. Shin glared at her.

            "You can't do that! Who will watch the universe while I'm gone?" he asked. North chimed in.

            "The same guy who's been helping you for the last few thousand years. Kibito."

            "_Kibito?" Sure he was helpful but he wasn't that powerful a fighter._

            "Well we've enlisted some helpers as well." North said hurriedly. 

            "Who?" Shin felt the situation rapidly spinning out of his control.

            "Two Saiyans, one demi-Saiyan, a Namek and several very bored humans have been training for the last eleven years or so and could use some field action. They're more than willing to take over until you get back. 

            Of course. Shin reluctantly admitted to himself they had him. When they all agreed on something (which wasn't very often) they overruled him.

            "Fine then. Take my job and my planet. I'll just train for the next ten years or so." He sighed. This day was getting worse by the minute.

            "Actually we were thinking eighty or ninety."

            "WHAT?"

            "A high-gravity environment would help too…there's a planet in the South quadrant that supports life and has about three hundred times normal gravity…or there is another option."

            "I'm listening." His head was already spinning and eighty years on a high-gravity rock was not appealing.

            "There is a gravity machine on the planet Earth belonging to Trunks Briefs. I'm sure he'd let you use it if you asked him." Shin blinked. Earth? Well that was a much better option but still…

            "I'm sure you could find yourself a training partner there too. A certain young lady named Pan Son would do nicely." East snickered. It all fell into place. 

            "Wait a minute. You're putting me through all this just so you can set me up with Pan?" he asked incredulously. His ears were heating up again. Surely no one could be that psychotic…then again, these were the five Kais he was thinking about.

            "Of course not. You really do need to train for a while. But if you did happen to spend a century or so on Earth and meet a nice girl and have a few little Kais to carry on the family business we wouldn't object." South said.

            "You're all insane! I'm the Supreme Kai, not some stud to be put out to pasture!" Shin shouted, outraged. He didn't even know for sure if Pan would want him hanging around for that long. Grand smiled at him.

            "It's either Earth or the high-gravity desert planet in the South quadrant. Your choice." Shin glared at all of them. He would have liked to take the high-grav planet just to spite them, but he had to admit he liked the idea of seeing Pan again. He sighed. It looked like he was taking his first vacation.__


	8. 8 - Epilogue

Disclaimer: I know I've been letting this lapse so I'll say now: I don't own DBZ. My fic is not official DBZ material, but I'm willing to sell it if Mr. Toriyama is interested….no?

Epilogue.          

Pan sat at her desk in her room with a chemistry textbook in front of her. In the section where the answers go was a rough sketch of her, Trunks, Videl and the Supreme Kai all fighting Buu together. Chichi had subtly suggested it was time to forget fighting for a while and get back to her schoolwork. ("You've got to hit those books otherwise you'll end up in a gang just like your grandfather!") Since Trunks had gone home and her mother had gone out for a walk a while ago there was no one to overrule her grandmother.

            She sighed and set the book aside, staring out into the night sky. It was hard to believe that entire battle had taken less than a day. It already seemed like a dream.

            She missed Shin already too. Ever since he had scolded her for flying off into battle after Kibito had died she had found herself liking him. And when they fused it was like she had known him for years. She had seen his past battles with Buu and other adversaries, and had seen his family killed and the thousands of years he had been made to guard the universe. By the standards of his race he was still only a teenager yet he had more responsibility than anyone should have to cope with. She wished he could have stayed for longer. She really liked him. Shaking her head she forced her mind away from the small purple alien. She wasn't going to see him again.

            She decided to go for a quick fly. Chichi had gone to bed already; she wouldn't miss her. She opened the window and launched herself out of it at top speed. 

            The cold air felt great as she flew through the air. She went a bit higher and started doing barrel rolls.

            "Do you often go flying about like this in the middle of the night?" a voice behind her asked. She froze. It couldn't be…

            Shin floated in mid-air with an odd smirk on his face. Pan blinked.

            "What on Earth are you doing back here?" she asked, shocked. His face fell.

            "That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for." He looked hurt.

            "Sorry. Uh, I mean what are you doing back here? Not that I mind I was just wondering…I'm going to stop talking now." She said. He chuckled.

            "Actually…" he hesitated. "I'm temporarily homeless and was wondering if you have room on your planet for one more alien."

            "What?" Was he kidding?

            "The five Kais of Otherworld have given me a century off to train. They seem to think I need it rather badly." He looked down at himself ruefully. Pan hid a smile. It sounded like something they'd do.

            "So you're going to stay here?" Pan asked hopefully.

            "Yes. I was hoping to use Trunks' gravity room occasionally. And…" he hesitated again. "I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to be my training partner." Pan grinned. _Training partner huh?_

_            "And…well," he fidgeted. "I was wondering if…I mean…" __Damn it! How do humans do this? Pan heard him thinking. She laughed out loud. She liked him and knew that he liked her but that didn't change the fact he looked like a terrified high-school kid asking a girl to the prom. He was the Supreme Kai for heavens' sake!_

            "Like this." She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. 

            Shin pulled away feeling a little dazed. Somehow he hadn't thought the night would go this well. Shin locked eyes with Pan and was about to kiss her a second time when…

            _All right! Way to go Shin!_

_            I told you this was a good idea!_

_            What the…you idiots! I told you not to interrupt!_

_            "Kai's!" Shin shouted angrily. Pan laughed out loud._

            _Sorry. I told them to leave you alone, North began._

            _Oh rubbish! You invited us over to your planet so we could watch them! West shouted, outraged._

            "You know this was a private moment." Pan told them, irritated.

            _Well yes dear, we're very sorry and all that but do tell me one thing. What do you see in him? I mean he's not that strong and he's short and purple and...East began._

            _There's nothing wrong with being short. And she's got a tail so she's not exactly perfect! West argued. Shin glared._

            "Right. That's it. All of you go away and leave us alone!" Shin shouted at them.

            _Now look here son…Grand began._

            "Unless it's a new invincible force of evil or a black-hole exploding and threatening to destroy the universe, I don't want to hear from you. If I do I will personally send you to the Home for Infinite Losers to train for the next thousand years. Do I make myself clear?" he threatened. There was silence.

            _Just checking on you. See you in a century._

_            Don't be a stranger Shin! North said in farewell. Their presence vanished. Pan looked impressed._

            "You can be a real prat when you're trying." She said. Shin assumed that was a compliment. 

            "Thankyou." He replied. They began floating towards her home. "So what happens now?" He had one hundred years to spend on Earth before he returned to his own world. He would have to find somewhere to live, and he hoped Pan would be joining him soon.

            "Well…" her eyes glinted evilly. "You are here to train." She said. Shin froze. It was after midnight, they'd been fighting all day and now she wanted to train?

            "You're not serious!" he said hopefully. She grinned and started to power up.

            An hour later they both collapsed on the ground after a heated sparring session. Shin looked across at the sleeping girl. He suspected her exhaustion was more from the day in general than any damage he had caused. He shifted and aches sprang up in muscles he didn't know he had. He was glad to be on Earth with Pan, but this was not going to be an easy century.

Author's note: I know this gets overly soppy in the end but I had to finish it somehow. I'm thinking of doing a sequel. What do you think? Thanks for all the reviews I really appreciated them J

And for the American readers, 'prat' is a universal insult, e.g. 'asshole'

Ok. I'm going to stop writing now…


End file.
